The Knight's Bane
by aximilli452
Summary: Nightwing has received a disturbing phone call urging him to return to Gotham. Will he arrive in time to save those he cares about? Or will he have to pick up the pieces?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I know everyone has slightly different knowledge of the Batman series, but I would like to clarify a few changes I made before this series' start. First off- As of the beginning of this story, Nightwing is not an active member of the Titans. He is patrolling on his own, though still on good terms with them. Second- Barbara Gordon/Batgirl was not nearly killed by the Joker. She still serves with Bruce Wayne/Batman and Tim Drake/Robin. Third- While not a change to the Canon, I feel the need to mention that Nightwing once took over as Batman temporarily after Bruce recieved a broken back at the hands of Bane. For a more detailed account of that incident, check out wikipedia on Batman, Tim Drake, or Dick Grayson's pages. It is an interesting side note in Batman history.

* * *

Dick Grayson stepped out of the bathroom, steam billowing out behind him. He had spent the last eight hours patrolling as Nightwing and he was ready for a nap. Running his fingers through his long black hair, he removed his towel and began to dress. Pants on and one arm through his shirt sleeve, he noticed the blinking light on his cell phone. He opened it and listened to the message.

- _"Dick?"_ The familiar voice of Barbara Gordon echoed in his ear. _"It's Barbara. We have a situation."_ Her breathing was labored. _"I know you're in New York, but you have to get here... They have him, Dick. Batman is being unmasked."_ She inhaled deeply. _"They're going to find the cave... And everything in it."_ Voices could be heard getting closer to her. _"I have to go. Please don't let them in the computers..."_ -

Dick stared at the wall for a second. How could anyone have captured Batman? He shook himself out of the funk. It didn't matter how, all that mattered was that someone had. He needed fast travel, and for that he was going to have to call upon his favorite hero. Dialing as quickly as he could, he waited for an answer.

"Hello?" A sleepy voice answered.

"Clark? I'm sorry to bother you so late, but I have an urgent favor to ask."

The sound of sheets ruffling could be heard. "How bad is it?"

He took a deep breath. "They have Bruce. I need to be in Gotham in the next three minutes. Think you could help?"

"I'll have you there in two." The line went dead.


	2. Chapter 2

Dressed in full gear, Nightwing stepped out onto his fire escape. He barely had time to close the window before he was swept up by Superman.

"Who has him?" The Man of Steel asked.

"I'm not sure. I missed the call." Nightwing shook his head. "I don't know if the others are okay, I don't know who I'm up against... All I know is that I need to protect the cave."

"I'll set you down and take a lap around the city. See if I can find them."

"Thanks Clark."

"Bruce is a good friend." Superman shifted his arms. "Land on your feet..."

Nightwing looked down as he was released. He tucked his arms in and hit the ground in a roll. As he stood he took in the sight of Wayne Manor... Burned to the ground. He was too late. Whoever had Bruce, had been here already. He turned and ran into the tree line nearby. The secondary entrance to the Batcave was back there. If he was lucky, they might not have discovered it.

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Comissioner James Gordon flipped off the television. It was late and he was on duty in the morning. He needed to get some rest. He carried his empty glass to the kitchen and set it in the sink. Yawning, he flipped the light switch and turned toward his bedroom. And he stopped cold.

His back door lay wide open in front of him, a trail of blood and water leading down the hall. Wishing he had his gun, he followed the trail down the hallway. He turned quickly into his daughter's old room. His heart dropped at the sight of his daughter crumpled on the floor.

"Barb?" He dropped to his knees, "Barb!" His hands shook as he rolled her over.

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Barbara Gordon knew she was finally safe. She had felt the floor rush up at her in her parents' house. And although she couldn't figure out why she felt as if someone had changed her clothes, she knew it was okay. The brief moments of consciousness showed her a hospital ceiling; doctors scurrying around her. Yes, she was safe.

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The secondary entrance to the Batcave was untouched. It hadn't been touched in weeks. Nightwing crept slowly down the stairwell, his hand held near his Eskrima sticks. Clanging could be heard echoing up the walls. Whoever was down there wasn't being gentle. That was a good sign. Maybe they had destroyed the computers.

Turning a corner he drew his weapons. Three men in ski masks turned to face him.

Drawing a pistol, the closest man aimed at him. "Who are you?"

Nightwing smiled. "I'm Nightwing. Haven't you heard?"

A second goon pulled an uzi from his side. "Nightwing, that's a stupid name. What is it with you masked loonies and your winged animals?"

"Masked loonies? I'm guessing that makes you three chickens."

"Enough talk." The lead man gestured with his gun, "Kill him so we can finish destroying this place."

Three guns opened fire on the stairwell. Fortunately for Nightwing, he was a trained acrobat. Vaulting off of the wall, he swung one stick and broke the lead man's jaw. Ducking behind a display case, he narrowly avoided a hail of bullets. The man with the automatic weapon was running through his ammo too fast to do any good. At this rate he wouldn't have a weapon soon.

Crunching glass made Nightwing turn to his right. Just in time to dodge the point blank shot at his head. He swept his right foot out and downed his attacker. A quick follow-up blow to the head by his Eskrima stick insured that the man stayed down. Now on to the man with the dwindling ammo supply.

The goon heard the repeating clicks as his clip ran out. Fumbling for another, he stumbled backward. His back hit a desk just as he slammed the new clip in. His eyes searched wildly around the room for the masked man.

"I'm not scared of you!" He shouted into the emptiness.

"Oh really?" The answer echoed off the walls. "Am I not as scary as the bat?"

The goon chuckled nervously. "I ain't scared o' no bat."

A small metal object pinged of an overhead light, causing it to bounce upward. The light shined up at hundreds of bats, waking them from their slumber.

The goon dropped his gun and ran toward the exit as the bats swooped down at him. His face ran right into Nightwing's outstretched fist. He collapsed in a heap.

Nightwing lifted the man up by the back of his neck. "I disagree."

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Tim Drake slowly opened his eyes. His mask was gone, his uniform torn severely. He tried to raise his head and was punished with an agonizing pain. He couldn't move. As he lay there, images of the battle flashed through his mind. He remembered being thrown through a wall. Into was bad, but through was a whole new experience. He couldn't imagine why he had been forgotton after that. Even if he was no longer a threat, he was still important right?

The sound of two feet settling down pulled him from his thoughts. "Who's there?" He managed as his hand slid toward his waist.

"Relax Robin, it's Superman." The Man of Steel gingerly scooped up the fallen teen. "I'm going to get you help."

Tim half smiled. "How did you know?"

"A friend called me." Superman lifted into the air. "Now rest." 


	3. Chapter 3

By the time Superman landed on the Wayne estate, Nightwing was waiting for him. "Oh god, Tim..." He rushed to the boy. "Who did this to you?"

Tim rolled his eyes toward Nightwing. "It's hard to remember. He was big..."

Superman shook his head. "I've run through the list of Batman's enemies who could pull something like this off, but it seems unlikely that it was one person."

Nightwing nodded. "Probably. Could I ask you for another favor?"

"Anything."

"Whoever orchestrated this knew what they were doing. Every file in Bruce's database has been copied. I managed to save the hard drive for analysis, but I was too late to stop them. They did a number on the cave too. I'll save what I can, but I could be here for a while."

"You want me to take Tim to the hospital." It wasn't a question.

Nightwing nodded his head. "But not here. Someone knows who he is. They'll go after him if he's in town. I want you to take him back to Metropolis with you. Check him in under the name Alvin Draper." Tim smiled at the mention of his fake name. "I'll come see him as soon as possible. And don't worry about me; no one knows I'm here."

Superman nodded. "I'll make sure he gets the best care in Metropolis." With that the Man of Steel flew off into the night.

Nightwing hung his head in exhaustion. He'd failed to mention that he'd already been to Tim's house to save his dad, only to have been too late. He also failed to mention the phone coversation he'd had with Comissioner Gordon. The one that made him feel as if a part of him had been torn away.

Barbara was dead. And with her, a part of him died as well. The grief he felt was pushed deep down, waiting for a moment of rest. But Nightwing didn't have time to rest. Bruce may still be alive, but that wouldn't last long. He had to work fast to find his old mentor.

He pulled himself from his thoughts and began walking toward the city. The fastest way to find Bruce was to hit the streets and beat his location out of a few thugs.

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Tim awoke in his hospital room. He shifted slightly in his bed.

"Don't strain yourself." A voice said from his left.

Tim turned and saw Clark Kent sitting in a chair staring at the muted TV in the corner. "Are you here again?"

"Just because you're healing doesn't mean I forgot about you." He un-muted the TV. "I think this might be it."

Tim looked up at the anchor woman speaking. "...Three weeks since the brutal death of Billionaire Bruce Wayne. His body was found by Nightwing: A vigilante most recently associated with New York City. Why he was in Gotham or how he came to know the location of the Billionaire's body is still unknown." A wavering video of Batman being beaten popped onto the screen. "This video, sent to several news stations, shows the vigilante Batman being savagely beaten by some unknown assailant.

"It also shows his mask being removed, revealing the face of someone resembling Bruce Wayne. The police have stated that the video does not prove who Batman is, as it is hard to see the face through the injuries. The city coroner has indicated though, that the injuries being inflicted on Batman are consistant with the damage sustained by Mr Wayne. Adding to the probability is the fact that Batman has not been seen since Mr Wayne's death.

"The vigilante Nightwing has been apprehending minor criminals in the past Three weeks though, causing police to suspect him in the disappearance of Batman. Comissioner Gordon couldn't be reached for questioning, but we were able to speak with Detective Harvey Bullock. He had this to say:"

"I think this Nightwing character wanted to be top dog. It seems to me like the masked weirdos are having some kind of turf war. I think they all should be locked up. The world would be a lot safer that way."

Clark muted the TV as a new story started. He looked over at the teen next to him. Tim was livid, his fists shaking at his side. "Tim..."

"How dare they..." He couldn't believe his ears. "A turf war? How could anyone think Dick had something do with this?"

"Keep your voice down. You don't want to blow your cover."

Tim took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, it's just..."

"I get it. I'm not too thrilled with that detective either, but not everyone likes what we do. We just have to take it in stride."

"I know. But safer? What kind of idiot thinks the world would be safer with criminals on the loose?"

Clark smiled. "Harvey Bullock. By the way, have you remembered anything new?"

Tim looked down. "Not really. The doctor said it might be a while. He said that I'm suppressing to help deal with the attack."

"That seems likely. Dick said that he checked the records at Arkham. No one has escaped in the last Six months. Was there anyone you guys were looking into before the attack?"

Tim searched his memory. "There were a few gangs we busted up a couple months back. The night we got attacked, we were headed for their old haunt to look into them. Some of them had gotten out of jail and were back up to no good." He shook his head. "I can't think of anybody that strong though."

"Is there anybody that strong in Arkham? Someone who could have done it. It's possible that there are a few corrupt guards there."

"Killer Croc is pretty strong. I don't remember green skin though... The only other guy we've ever faced who could beat up Batman was Bane, but he's dead."

Clark shifted uncomfortably. "Where'd you hear that?"

"Bruce said he had a run in with Ra's Al Ghul. Ra's didn't let Bane walk away."

"When was this?"

Tim searched Clark's face. "Almost a year ago. Why?"

Clark turned to stare out the window. "I ran into Bane about a month before your attack. He helped me take down Lex Luthor in South America. Bruce told me a while ago that he was reformed."

Tim's face went white. "You actually saw Bane? You're sure it was him?"

"Unless there's someone else running around in a luchador mask and punping Venom into their system."

"But his mask is in the cave. I've seen it."

Clark stood up. "I should let Dick know. Maybe we can track Bane down before he hurts anyone else." 


End file.
